Women are being offered a glimpse of how they could look in future if they
keep on drinking too much as part of a campaign to cut down drinking in
Scotland.

The Scottish Government has unveiled the 'drinking mirror' smartphone app, which claims to show the visible effects of regularly drinking too much, such as deeper wrinkles, red cheeks and weight gain.

By taking a picture of the user, the app aims to show how 'dropping a glass size' could "improve your looks over 10 years", with a so-called magic mirror showing you "how much better you will look if you drink a little less alcohol".

In the same way that slimmers sometimes switch to a smaller plate to eat less, the Scottish government is calling on women to drop a glass size as a way of cutting back on drinking.

Drinking six to ten glasses a week, looking rather flushed in ten years' time, according to the 'drinking mirror'...

Citing figures showing that around 38pc of women regularly exceed drinking guidelines, by drinking more than 14 units a week, the Scottish Government said it was encouraging women to think about the health effects of regularly drinking more than the recommended amount.

The number of alcohol-related deaths among women aged 30-44 has doubled in the last 20 years, and the chronic liver disease and cirrhosis death rate among women in that age group in Scotland has trebled since the mid to late 1980s.

Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “Evidence shows us that most people who drink alcohol, particularly at home, have no idea of how much they are actually consuming. This campaign will show people how small changes to their drinking habits can have a significant impact on their health and wellbeing."

Dr Samantha Robson, a GP, added: “Many women don’t think about the longer term effects of drinking or that on average it takes them longer than a man to recover from the damage caused by a big night. But cutting down a glass size, or having a break some nights, the result could make a huge difference to how they look and feel.”